Volunteers Help Makeover NW Baltimore Police Precinct

Police officers were joined by volunteers from CareFirst and the community, getting their hands dirty to spruce up the building on Reisterstown Road.

Volunteers got some spring cleaning done at the Northwest District Police Station on Monday.

"We're going to be getting rid of anything out of the inside of the building that needs to be cleaned. We'll also be planting flowers and shrubs to give a more aesthetic look to the front of the building -- make it more community friendly," said Baltimore police Lt. Brian Pearson.

Police officers were joined by volunteers from CareFirst and the community, getting their hands dirty to spruce up the building on Reisterstown Road.

"This was nearby, and it was an opportunity for a bunch of us to come together. It also gave us the ability to work outside, which a lot of us thought it would be fun to work outside," said volunteer Cindy Chandler.

"This is great. The officers, when they see things like this, they see the community does care," said Maj. Marc Partee, the Northwest District commander.

The northwest is the second precinct to get started on a grassroots plan to renovate and modernize all of the outdated police stations in the city. The cleanup is the first step in that process.

"It's a huge blessing. We have the community taking part and wanting to partner with the Police Department and really invest in our police officers. So, we're going to modernize the building, give back to the police officers, give them an area they can use and be more efficient at their job," Pearson said.

District commanders said the station, which was built in the 1950s, is in desperate need of the renovations. Ultimately, the project will help police officers do their jobs more effectively.

"It's a morale boost for us. It makes us feel a lot better about what we do. Policing is a hard job, a hard career to be in, so whenever you can get a boost of morale and the guys can feel good about what they're doing, it's always a win for us," Partee said.

There are several more cleanups scheduled at other precincts in the city. Renovations on the northwest building will start as soon as possible.